Naxos Restaurants and Food
There
are plenty of restaurants in Naxos
town and on all the beaches near
Naxos town and it just a matter of
finding what you like. I usually
ask where the locals eat but
restaurants like Elli and
Oniro, are recommended by
one guidebook or another and if you ask the concierge or owner of your hotel where they eat you ususally can't go wrong. Lonely
Planet recommends Taverna Koutaki,
Manolis Garden, the Taverna Galini
is a local favorite, and the
Sirocco Cafe for breakfast. Because Naxos is an agricultural island most of the restaurants feature locally grown vegetables, fruits and meats, and of course fish, though chances are better that your meat is local than your fish. Octopus and squid are imported as they are almost everywhere. The specialties of the island are their delicious cheeses and sausages which should be tasted everywhere because everywhere they are a little bit different. Local wines are good and the local ouzo is distilled and pure and one of the best in Greece. They also drink Citron, an alcoholic drink made from the tree which is in the orange family. It is more for desert than dinner. The photo above is grilled lamb and kountosouvli (pork) from Popi's grill in the port of Naxos town.
My eating experience in Naxos was a relatively good one. There
were places I will definitely go back to and one that I will avoid
forever. My favorite
restaurant was the Picasso Mexican Bistro and not just because I
had been traveling for two months and was weary of Greek food. This
was a really terrific Mexican restaurant, as good as any I have
been to in the USA, (and I go to a lot-it's my favorite food). Picasso
is owned by Debbie Richards and Stratos Perakis and after the first
margaritta and chips and salsa I was ready to commit myself
to eating all my meals here. By the third pitcher I knew that if
I did my life would be in danger. We came with our Slovenian friends,
Darko and Zonka and their kids who are not as into spicy foods as
my family is, but there was something for everyone and we all left
happy and they left with an appreciation of Mexican cuisine which
they had never tasted. If you have a yearning for jalapeno poppers,
chicken wings, burittos, tacos, sizziling fajitas, great nachos and a few frozen margarittas
then go here. It is easy to find. Just go to the main square of
Agios Prototikiou and it is on the next block, on the way to Agios
Georgios. You can e-mail them at sdperakis@hotmail.com
or see their menu at www.picassoismexican.com
Popi's Grill in the port is one of the most famous of the island
and except for a couple immigrants clearing the table the restaurant
is unique in that it is an all-girl staff. Single guys don't get
your hopes up because their average age is about sixty, but it is
run in an organized yet chaotic way and specializes in grilled meats.
What attracted me was the whole lamb and kontosouvli turning on
the spit and I dragged everyone back to it though they wanted to
eat elsewhere. The Lucullus Taverna(photo) is the most famous taverna on the island
mostly due to an article in the New York Times from 1998.The tavern,
the oldest on the island will
celebrate it's 100th Anniversary in 2008. It is located up the Old
Market Street on the way to the castle and is decorated with antiques.
All the small ouzeries
in a row on the waterfront had octopus grilling and a wide
variety of mezedes and you will probably be pleased with any of
them. If in doubt try Stis Irinis Cafenion-Ouzerie. There is also an Asian restaurant that was recommended to
us called East-West which featured Chinese, Indian and Thai food.
Be sure to visit Nikos Kokotopoulos, the owner of the Platia Iroon Taverna in Psiri, Athens who has his summer place in the Grotta neighborhood of Naxos Town. The restaurant is called Anemos and it is a snack-bar-ouzerie. Like Platia Iroon he has live rembetika music. If you are looking for a little traditional entertainment to go with your ouzo and meze or a place to hang out and drink and make conversation try this.
For breakfast in Agios Prokopios we liked the Golden Beach
or Xrisi Paralia Zacharoplastion (sugar-shop) mostly
because Anastasia (photo) and the other girls who ran it were so sweet and charming and also
because they had super-fresh eggs which came from their family farm that were delicious as omelets
or fried. It was also our hangout for after dinner because they
had a nice selection of local deserts and sweets, all home-made and lots of flavors of ice-cream
in case you wanted to top them off. The cafe is right on the beach
by all the restaurants and bars. When we moved to the Porto Naxos in town
we had their breakfast buffet which was more than ample. So ample
that we really did not need to eat lunch. Have their fresh local yogurt with Cretan Honey and the best frappes in town.
In Agios Propkopios there are a number of tavernas on the beach that cater to Greeks and tourists and have wide menus that cover the spectrum from souvlaki and mousaka to pizza, sometimes all in one restaurant. In the Taverna Nikos we had a near religious experience. We had looked at all the restaurants and settled on Nikos, mainly because along with the kontosouvli that the other places had there was a whole chicken turning on the rotisserie. We sat down and ordered the chicken. When it came to the table it was cold, strange because a few moments before it had been cooking. I went to the rotisserie and sure enough the whole chicken was still there. This was either a miracle like Jesus and the loaves of bread or someone was pulling a fast one. I told the waitor that not only was my chicken cold but it was able to be in two places at once since it was still on the rotisserie. He apologized and took it away, returning a few moments later with a piping hot chicken and extra frenchfries (hiding the bite I had taken). I went back to the rotisserie to see the magical chicken was still turning. But rather than harp on a restaurant that I did not like (as i just did) let me just recommend Spiros Taverna which I unfortunately did not hear about until after I left the island and is rumored to have the best food in Greece. According to Michael and Shannon Hadjis from Chicago: in our opinion (me and my Greek husband's) DOES have the best Greek food we have ever had. We tried this place based from your "sadly" missed experience on your website. Next time - go there! We could only compare the food to Aunt Crisoula's homemade food back in Athens. We ate there 4 out of 6 nights. Wished we had just done all six. YUM!
The traditional restaurant Platanos in the village of Aperathou
is next to a small church in the shade of a platanos tree and we
had a very nice lunch here during our journey around the island. It
is high in the mountains and cooler and they had a menu full of
local dishes. Try the kokoras (rooster) either grilled or in a red
sauce.
On the outskirts of the small town of Mesi Potamia is the very
nice taverna H Magi Thea owned by the charming Dimitrios Deoydes, where you can
find inexpensive local dishes in a beautiful setting. If you are
looking to escape the town for a real honest-to-goodness country
meal of fresh local meats and vegetables and good local wine in
a cool mountain setting with a beautiful view come here one night.
(If you drink be sure to have a designated driver to get you back
to your hotel). Good news for lovers of potatoes. Naxos grows potatoes
for the whole country and when they are sliced large and cooked
in fresh olive oil you will forget about all the french-fries you
have eaten before.
As for bars and clubs there are many choices and Naxos town literally rocks at night. For Greek music try the Loft. For sophisticated tastes go to Vengera. For rock, reggae and soul there is the Kahlua Music Club at Agios Prokopios and for the wild younger crowd seeking that throbbing disco beat there is the Ocean Club on the road to Agios Georgios. Sante, Rocks and Jam are three clubs open late. There are plenty more so ask your conceirge, waiter or anyone else you talk to. We liked a bar called Tha Katso in Protodikiou Square for no other reason than the draft beer was big and cold and the waitor was friendly. They also had a very large assortment of beers from all over the world so if you miss your favorite you may find it here.
It is no coincidence that the district of Psiri in Athens which is famous for it's ouzeries and restaurants which feature mezedes (snacks eaten with ouzo) is the neighborhood of the immigrants from Naxos. Several of the best ouzeries are owned by Naxiotis including Platia Iroon and Ouzerie Naxos and you can find their famous sausages and cheeses on the menu there as well as in the General Goods Store of Naxos, or the Geniko Emborio Eklekton Proionton Naxos. During the last days of fasting that lead up to Easter the whole neighborhood of Psiri becomes a market for lamb, cheese and wine from Naxos. Trucks and tractors filled will Naxos produce arrive in the city by ferry. The streets are closed to traffic and stands are set up and goods sold until Saturday evening when they magically disappear. After the midnight easter service the farmers from Naxos return to the ferry and go back to Naxos to spend Easter Sunday with their families and friends. See www.athensguide.com/naxosmarket
